Paralympian, journalist and politicians among new Canadian Senate appointees

Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc and Justice Murray Sinclair have been named to the Senate. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press, Chris Wattie/Canadian Press)

The prime minister has appointed seven new senators to fill vacancies in Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario.

The roster includes Justice Murray Sinclair, who led the Truth and Reconciliation commission, Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc and the long-time civil servant who headed Justin Trudeau’s transition team when the Liberals took power last November.

That man, Peter Harder, will also become the government’s representative in the Senate.

The names were recommended by an advisory board set up by the government in January.

The seven appointments bring the number of vacancies in the Senate down to 17 and the government has said they will all be filled this year.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper hadn’t appointed a new senator since 2013, the year the upper chamber found itself mired in a spending scandal.